Potato Salad Tacos

Tinned Potato Tacos. It’s has an air of 1972 about it. Not that I would know being an eighties child myself – and with little to no prior knowledge of such things having never even engaged with them up until now. Let me put this rather odd little convenience food purchase into context. I’m currently on the hunt for a very particular sized can … one that can both double as a vase (stay with me) and a cutlery holder. You see, I’m in the the business of repurposing things at present but that doesn’t mean my aesthetic requirements have gone completely out of the window. As soon as I spied this perfectly proportioned can in my local Lidl I was like ‘bingo'(!) – perfect height, width etc. Only problem is the contents look vile. I mean, they’re only potatoes but I still find it creepy. I have the same aversion to tinned sweetcorn. Creepy.

So, they’ve been languishing in my pantry (ahem ‘my pantry’ – so delighted with myself) for a number of weeks now whilst i summoned the courage to actually open and use the damn things. Anyway, yesterday was the day because I knew I should probably make dinner a little ahead of time as we had scheduled our first ever adult swimming lesson (we don’t suck but there’s so much room for improvement – keep learning kids!). I had a feeling I wouldn’t want to be getting too involved in any hardcore kitchen shenanigans afterwards but with very little in the fridge (and up to my ears in DIY chores) I decided to make do with what I had. Hence … tinned potatoes.

Turns out tinned potatoes really aren’t that creepy. Yes, tiny and perfectly peeled, but creepy? Not so much. I thought about roasting them or even frying them in a hot pan with spices but in the end I opted for the easy, er, option. I’m a total sucker for potato salad and because I also had some tacos lingering in my pantry (‘my pantry’ … now I’m just showing off) I thought what a perfect little lazy Wednesday pairing – and you know what? It really was.

Tossed with the most beautiful spring onions I’ve seen all season, minced jalapenos, chopped celery, cucumber and a handful of my all-time (okay, top three) favourite herb, dill, these sad looking little spuds were magically transformed into something moderately fresh. However, if your aversion to tinned tatties is even greater than mine, then by all means use some freshly boiled/steamed salad potatoes instead – I’m not a wholehearted aficionado myself but y’know, needs must. And also … real life eats!! Because whatever happened to that on the internet?! Does anyone even do that any more? Youtube seems to be the only place to get my ‘what I ate in a day’ fix these days so I’m bringing a little of that realness to this blog. Making do is a thing – and sometimes you get a cool (ish) cutlery container out of it too. Just saying.

what you’ll need

for the potato salad

560g tin peeled potatoes, drained and rinsed

2 large spring onions, finely sliced

1 heaped tbsp. minced red or green jalapenos

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1/4 cucumber, quartered and sliced

10g roughly chopped dill

juice 1/2 lime

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

sea salt & pepper

For the hummus dressing

150g hummus

juice 1/2 lime

to serve

6 taco-sized tortillas, lightly griddled

1 ripe avocado, sliced

100g shop-bought tomatillo (or regular) salsa

1 lime, quartered

1 heaped tsp. cumin for dusting

what you’ll do

Drain and rinse the potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. Season generously before adding the spring onion, minced jalapenos, celery and cucumber. Spritz over the lime, drizzle over the olive oil and toss to combine. Roughly chop the dill and add to bowl. Gently toss and set aside until needed.

Heat a griddle pan on a high heat. Add the tortillas and lightly toast on both sides until they puff. Transfer to an awaiting plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm.

De-stone the avocado and finely slice. Spritz over a little lime juice to prevent it browning. Whisk the hummus and lime juice together until smooth.

Build the tacos by first layering on the hummus dressing, followed by a generous heaping of potato salad. Add a slice or two of avocado and a drizzle of salsa. Finish with a few dill fronds, a dash of cumin and serve.